This Game Is Too Real

"What the heck? It's on me again?!"

Sitting in the Thunder Aircraft, Falling Feather looked bewildered, glancing at the building wrapped in a crimson substance, feeling a shiver down his spine.

That thing should be a fungal mat, right?

How did the Army manage to use such an unearthly thing as a mutated slime fungus on the battlefield!

Clearly, they used the consensus of the Sticky Community as toilet paper.

Or perhaps, like the Southern Legion's interpretation of that ancient contract—it was signed by Julius; they weren't present.

"Xiaoyu... can your powers work against that thing?"

"Ee-woo!" (We can try)

"Alright..."

Falling Feather took a deep breath, gripping the control stick while stomping on the pedal with his left foot to change direction, aiming the aircraft cannon at the building being devoured by the indescribable entity, then firmly pressed the fire button with his thumb.

"Boom—!"

With a short burst of roar, thousands of 20mm aircraft cannon rounds were instantly unloaded!

Faced with the sudden burst of firepower, the crimson vines climbing towards the rooftop were shredded to pieces, halting their upward climb momentarily.

The crimson flesh soon realized where the attack came from, with tentacles poised to strike shooting towards the sky like missiles, aiming to intercept the Thunder Aircraft!

Seizing the moment when the vehicle's attention was fully on him, Falling Feather's lips curved into a smug smile, and with his right hand, he grabbed the pull ring under the seat and yanked it upwards forcefully.

With a few abrupt explosions, he was ejected, seat and all, from the shattered cockpit.

Meanwhile, his aircraft continued its trajectory unabated, heading straight for the Lair trying to engulf the building!

That Lair certainly wouldn't allow such a hunk of metal to crash into its head.

As expected, numerous tentacles wrapped around the Thunder Aircraft like a net.

However, what the Lair did not know was that the cockpit of this Thunder Aircraft was already full of Xiaoyu's sub-entities!

Those sub-entities were like his clones, possessing almost all his flying skills and even generating a mimic of "him" in the cockpit!

With this special ability, even though he was hanging from a parachute, he could remotely control the aircraft through the communication channel.

Of course, now that he'd successfully engaged with the Lair, there was no need for that.

The Thunder Aircraft full of sub-entities was his Trojan horse!

"I'm counting on you, Xiaoyu!"

Dangling from the parachute, Falling Feather kept his eyes fixed on the plane captured by the tentacles, silently rooting for Xiaoyu.

Just then, an "ee-woo!" suddenly came through the communication channel.

(It's a bit strange; it seems it's not the Lair!)

Not the Lair?

Falling Feather froze, staring incredulously at the large boiling patch of the fungal mat in the distance.

What else could it be?

As he was momentarily stunned, his vehicle was crushed like a squeezed Can by the coiling tentacles, reduced to a ball.

The sudden burst of firelight, batteries exploding, shattered the tentacles around the fighter plane, yet the faint light soon vanished into the night breeze.

Floating in the air, Falling Feather was utterly bewildered, especially as he watched the tentacles change direction and come towards him.

This thing isn't the Lair?!

"Damn—!"

...

Not far from the "Tower of the World," in a mansion, the Chief of Staff of the Southern Legion, Augustus, and his wife used the remaining canned food to make one last dinner for their children.

Although it was just things like sardines, minced meat, and butter oysters, the cans at least had a special supply label.

Dripping the prepared cyanide into the children's vegetable juice and his and his wife's red wine, he tied the napkin around his chest with trembling fingers, maintaining the last vestiges of dignity.

Having made all preparations, he looked at the children's innocent, curious faces, clearing his throat with pain tamped down, and began speaking solemnly and slowly, as if at a speech in front of ten thousand people.

"Let's toast to the honorable Marshal Julius, the invincible legion, and the fortune of the Weilante people..."

All will end tonight.

After saying this, he raised his glass and clinked gently with his wife's. The children imitated the gesture, cheering "cheers" and then giggling as they drank their tasty vegetable juice.

The process was painless.

For these young lives, this might've been the greatest mercy; they wouldn't need to endure a long life burdened by guilt... yet perhaps this tragic fate never really existed, just like that crazy ambition, it was merely imposed on them by their elders.

Looking at the children sleeping on the table, a trace of pain flashed across his wife's face, but she finally managed to regain calm composure, then gulped down the red wine in her glass, slumped on the table with a "thud" never to awaken.

Finally free.

She no longer wished to stay in this world for a moment.

Watching his family die one after another in front of his eyes, Augustus could no longer hold back his emotions. His expression twisted with pain, the hand holding the wine glass trembled uncontrollably.

"I condemned all of you..."

If only he had stopped Teil back then...

If he had done something, perhaps now his family would be on vacation at the beaches of Bartoya Province.

But it's too late for regrets now.

The victory at West Sail Port made too many people heady with arrogance, young and old officers alike had no doubt that the enterprise was at twilight, unable to maintain that ancient covenant, especially since the Poluo people who stood before them seemed so weak.

Augustus raised the wine glass to his lips, preparing to end all the pain with a gulp.

Yet just then, a deafening roar and a low growl came from outside the window.

He paused, walked to the window, and pulled the curtain open. He saw Yavente City's landmark—the alloy skyscraper made of metal, now wrapped in massive chunks of meat-red unknown matter.

That thing seemed alive, writhing under the lamplight of the night sky, letting out unwilling and ugly cries towards the heavens.

"Ooooo—!"

It roared again, every cell in its body seemed to ripple, surging like rolling ocean waves.

Augustus's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief and confusion.

He had just returned from that building not long ago...

Unexpectedly, the esteemed Legion Leader Teil should be there, and precisely on the 68th floor.

"Teil... Your Excellency?"

He muttered in confusion, just as several fighter planes whizzed by in the sky.

The Alliance seemed to have noticed the anomaly in this building, with vertical take-off aircraft spewing plasma jets breaking through the anti-aircraft fire blockade at low altitude, rapidly approaching the direction of the Tower of the World.

"...What on earth is that thing?"

That hideous creature...

He knew that some endgame weapons were stored within that building, but he didn't know that Teil had this hideous card up his sleeve.

That was no longer a human form, as if it were a blister squeezed out from the surface.

Augustus staggered two steps back, finally closing his eyes in despair, and then he yanked the curtains closed.

In the name of Julius...

What exactly have they done?!

Be it Teil, himself, or those Ten Thousand Leaders supporting him...

Do they really want to transform the Weilante people from humans into cockroaches?

He drained the red wine from his glass in one gulp, collapsing weakly beside the dining table.

Looking at his dead lover and children, in the final moment of his life, he finally awakened from the nightmare.

He repented with the little time he had left.

"Wooo... Please forgive your children, Marshal Julius... it is us who have let you down."

"It is us... the Southern Legion... who are unworthy of being Weilante people..."

...

"Woo-——!"

A deep and long howl shattered the dark clouds, like the low chant of a giant whale from the deep sea.

Upon hearing that deafening sound, the Southern Legion soldiers fighting on the front lines simultaneously halted their fighting and turned to look back at the rolling mass of flesh behind them.

Ugliness was epitomized in that very moment, along with that indescribable distortion and chaos.

Perplexed expressions appeared on one face after another.

They couldn't believe that right behind them, in their hometown and departure point...

There was such a twisted beast growing.

"Devil..."

A wavering panic was imprinted in the flickering pupils, and the seasoned old soldiers involuntarily stepped back; the belief to fight to the last moment had finally experienced a shake.

What exactly had they been fighting for until now?

Or rather...

Was that creature them?

Awakened suddenly, his back was soaked with cold sweat, and a painful expression appeared on his face.

Meanwhile, in another trench not far from him, the rookies with less than half a month of military training wore similarly bewildered expressions.

"Damn... what's that thing?!"

"The Alliance's biological weapon?!"

The flesh-colored tendrils were still extending upwards, akin to vines creeping towards the sky.

Grey-yellow mist spread around, like a suddenly blossomed tree crown.

Yet more terrifying weren't just these; its roots were also spreading outwards.

Those entangled tendrils rolled through the streets like pouring waterfalls, indiscriminately harvesting every life in its sight, be it human, rat, or cockroach alike.

Perish now—

Inferior race.

That rolling spore cloud silently hummed out its lament, blending an angry emotion into that silent slaughter.

The soldiers backed away in fear, or fired futile rounds from their rifles, attempting to block that advancing tendrils striking like tides.

That... should be the Mutant slime mold's mother nest?!

But why is it here?!

That terrifying existence had surpassed the soldiers' understanding and knowledge present.

Though the Southern Legion-controlled Batoya Province and surrounding Great Desert also had scattered Mutant slime mold mother nests, they were mostly located in pre-war ruins and uninhabited wilderness.

In a mere moment of distraction, a crimson tentacle swung at a soldier, lifting him tens of meters into the air amidst his cries, only to be chopped into two by a swift slash, turning into a sky of fragmented flesh and rain of blood!

The soldiers crouching behind the cover were dumbfounded, clueless about how to combat such a terrifying entity.

Just as the tide was about to engulf them, a Chimera Armored Car suddenly charged out from the side.

The group of soldiers quickly ducked back into cover, listening to the 37mm cannons booming above their heads.

However, the deadly armor-piercing incendiary bomb did not fall into their cover.

A rookie shakily pulled out an Iron Fist Rocket Launcher, ready to attack, but was stopped by the officer beside him.

In the distance, streaks of tracer fire shot towards the advancing tendrils, temporarily forcing back the ferocious tide, preventing the crimson tentacles from getting close.

At that moment, a deafening roar blasted through the loudspeaker above the Southern Legion soldiers' heads.

"What are you waiting for?! This thing is massacring your compatriots! Do you really need your opponents to teach you how to shoot?!"

Hearing those words was like waking from a dream, including the Centurion with his hand on the rocket launcher.

Although they didn't know what the crimson tentacles and the fleshy mass enveloping the Tower of the World were, there was one thing they were sure of—

That creature feasted on the blood and flesh of the Weilante people!

"Attention all units! Temporary ceasefire! Aim your guns at that monster!"

The scattered Centurions in the ruins regained their morale. Despite being disbanded, they regrouped and rallied once more.

"Ow, ow, ow!!"

The same scene was playing out on various streets around Yavente City.

Although the battle between the Southern Legion and the Alliance had not yet ended, due to that unspeakable demon, some troops had already redirected their guns, tacitly dealing with the common enemy first...

Meanwhile, in the distant Grand Canyon, the chairperson sitting in the conference room let out a faint sigh.

"History is repeating itself once again..."

The events from two hundred years ago could be summarized as such; both parties, blinded by rage, simultaneously pressed the doomsday button.

The only thing to be thankful for was that this time it wasn't a downward spiral.

Perhaps...

...

The frontline of Yavente City.

Centurion Baldwin, who was commanding the battle, stared wide-eyed in bewilderment, fixated on the building known as the "Tower of the World."

What is that...

The number of incomprehensible things kept increasing, perhaps since the beginning of the "Mortal Serum" plan he should have realized that Teil was a complete madman, and his ambition would kill everyone!

The phone continuously relayed reports from the rear, and the logistics troops stationed near Yavente City had suffered heavy losses!

At this time, his adjutant ran over, unable to perform a military salute, sweating profusely as he reported.

"Sir, the Alliance's air forces are advancing toward our rear!"

A trace of struggle flashed in Baldwin's eyes, and after two seconds, he finally made up his mind.

"Let them pass!"

The adjutant looked at him in surprise.

"But—"

Baldwin stared into his eyes, using a tone that wouldn't allow refusal.

"Do as I say!"

Seeing the expression that didn't seem to be joking, the adjutant held his breath, but eventually gritted his teeth, performed a military salute, and turned to carry out the order.

Watching his adjutant leave, Baldwin looked at the combat map beside him, all emotions finally turned into a long sigh.

Already lost...

Perhaps he should have realized it earlier, but it's too late to say that now.

At the very least, he must stop that ever-growing monster.

Otherwise, not only would Marshal Julius's honor and the Southern Legion's century of accumulation turn into ruins under its havoc, but all the Weilante people in the city would also have to die with him.

At the same time as issuing the order, Baldwin called the captain of a nearby Iron Airship, reporting the situation on the ground to them one by one.

"The unknown organic life form spreading from the Tower of the World is indiscriminately attacking our compatriots! Including our soldiers, our civilians! We must cease fire immediately! While there's still time!"

Some people hung up on him directly, some angrily accused him of being a traitor, but some listened and expressed disbelief at his words, doubting whether it could be an Alliance conspiracy.

This possibility indeed couldn't be ruled out.

But for the Alliance, which was about to win, using sensitive biological weapons was a risky and unprofitable move.

Regardless of the extent Teil might go, the cause and effect of the situation seemed beyond guessing.

Without a doubt—

It's another unconventional "trick."

And as always, Teil completely screwed it up, letting everything spiral out of control.

Some captains tried to contact superiors, but their superiors were also in disarray at this moment.

Not only had contact with Teil's Legion been lost, but even their Chief of Staff, Augustus, was nowhere to be found.

The Southern Legion's command system was in chaos, and some people finally realized the severity of the problem.

Of the eight remaining Iron Airships, three raised white flags, and soon this number became five, with even two of them, under Baldwin's orders, simply turning their guns to aim the 100mm cannons at the rampaging "Lair."

This action thoroughly enraged the monster, which, having been somewhat restrained, went on a rampage, bringing the low-hovering airships into its attack range, forcing them to retract their anchor chains and move away from the Tower of the World.

The Alliance's anti-aircraft forces did not fire upon these airships, even as the phase guns on trains outside had locked onto them.

The urgent priority now was to eliminate that rampaging unknown life form!

Meanwhile, in the hovering Viper transport plane in the center of Yavente City, Quit Smoking suddenly opened his eyes and urgently spoke to Old White beside him.

"Falling Feather just posted on the Forum... He said that thing isn't the Lair!"

Old White was taken aback.

"Not the Lair?! What the hell is it then?"

Quit Smoking shook his head, speaking quickly.

"I don't know... He only said that thing isn't the Lair, didn't say it's not mutated slime fungus, Xiaoyu also can't figure out what it is, it seems like an independent conscious sub-entity... Damn, anyway, what he said was a mess! He said the only way to stop it is to destroy the brain hidden inside that mass to devour it!"

Old White seriously stared at him.

"So there's a way to devour it?"

Quit Smoking swallowed, nodding quickly.

"There's a fifty-fifty chance... Supposedly, Xiaoyu said it."

"In any case, one thing's for sure, that thing is something none of us have seen before."

Killer Dagger, with a grave expression, cursed under his breath.

"Damn... we might need the data from the 'Tower of the World' to figure out what the hell this thing is."

To get the data from the Tower of the World...

Quit Smoking glanced outside the cabin at the building wrapped in flesh-red fungal blankets, feeling a chill run down his spine.

"How the hell do we get in there?"

"Have you figured out what to do yet? There are too many hands on this thing! I can't hold it any longer!" The Kidney Fighter squatting by the cabin edge was gripping the 40mm airborne grenade launcher, firing shots at the tentacles reaching for the transport plane.

Faced with the high-explosive grenades charged with metal hydrogen, the thick tentacles were blasted off one by one, but they couldn't withstand the massive numbers rushing in!

The pilot skillfully maneuvered left and right to dodge, but this was not a sustainable strategy.

Old White's mind was spinning quickly.

Just then, Fang Chang's voice suddenly came through the communication channel.

"The Southern Legion's 2 million troops have surrendered, Old White, can you hear me?"

Old White grinned and said.

"I can hear you, they've surrendered? Does that mean our ground troops can go in?"

Fang Chang said seriously.

"That's the idea, but you've seen the situation at the front line. It's almost impossible to push the ground troops all the way in. Even if successful, the casualties would be too high—"

Old White: "Stop the crap, just hurry up and say what to do!"

Heeding Old White's urging, Fang Chang unhesitatingly said.

"Like in Clear Spring, jump in and fight them!"

Old White was momentarily stunned.

"Jump... down?"

Fang Chang didn't explain, he continued firmly.

"According to the intelligence provided by Centurion Baldwin, Teil should be... no, he's on the 68th floor."

As soon as he finished speaking, a white smoke column suddenly crossed the skies of Yavente City, accurately hitting the waist of the Tower of the World!

It was an anti-ship cruise missile launched from the South Sea Union's "Harpoon" cruiser!

The flashing white light instantly burned through the crimson fungal carpet and the alloy wall beneath it, the deafening explosion and spreading shock wave blew up into the clouds!

The tentacle-waving "devil" let out a painful wail, while the wound inflicted by the cruise missile was healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

At the same moment the missile hit, Fang Chang's voice also came through the communication channel.

"Now's the time! Hurry!"

Without hesitating, Old White reached out, grabbed the seatback of the pilot, and shouted loudly.

"Get closer to the center of the explosion! Quick!"

Though nervous, the pilot clenched his teeth and complied, maneuvering to dodge the swiftly approaching tentacles, using the cover of the explosion smoke to advance near the missile impact point.

The deep crimson tentacles had already covered the wound, the monster was consciously moving metal materials from inside the building to block the broken gap.

The Kidney Fighter squatting by the cabin edge certainly wouldn't give it the chance, howling loudly, he buffed the grenade launcher in his hands, then unleashed a salvo of high-explosives, shattering those tentacles!

The shocking wound was exposed, and along with it the internal structure of the Tower of the World building that had not been completely eroded!

"Ugh—!"

The pained howl rang out again, vibrating the glass of the cockpit.

"We can't stay here too long!" The pilot gritted his teeth and shouted, struggling to stabilize the craft and keep it hovering, "I can't get any closer—"

Before he finished speaking, Old White, clad in Dragon Cavalry power armor, took a few swift steps, leaping toward the exposed breach.

The tentacles poised to intervene had not yet reached the edge of the power armor before being blasted to bits by a salvo of high-explosive grenades.

"Old White! I'll cover you!" The excited shout came from the Kidney Fighter at the edge of the cabin.

Meanwhile, Old White's feet had already landed on the floor of the 68th floor of the Tower of the World.

The crimson fungal carpet was trampled into mush by steel armor, a burning thermal cutting axe fittingly slid into his hand.

At the same time, the wrist-thick bomb gun also clicked into place.

A tentacle soared towards him like lightning from the corner of the room, but before it reached ten meters, it was blasted to bits by a high explosive!

The bomb gun wasn't just able to launch explosive arrows, Huge Rock Military Industry had long designed a series of no safety distance anti-infantry warheads for this equipment.

These specialized warheads were equally effective even on a narrow battlefield!

"Hmm, thanks... leave the rest to me, you guys can retreat."

The narrowing breach could no longer allow a second person to enter—

Unless there's an anti-ship missile again.

But, there's no need for that anymore.

Old White could feel the powerful aura was here, and it was on the same floor as him, close to him.

Yet his heart bore no fear.

As the player with the highest combat prowess in the server, he was confident he could defeat any opponent standing before him in a 1v1 PK.

Even if they were never-before-seen opponents—

The one who should be fearing wasn't him, but it!

"Come out, Teil, it must be you... Let me see how much power you command."

Slashing down three tentacles aiming towards him, Old White swung the thermal cutting axe in his hand, striding purposefully towards the damaged laboratory door.

Standing deep in the laboratory on the 68th floor, Teil's tightly shut eyes momentarily faltered, his ugly face twisted like boiling swamp.

Indeed, he hadn't fully mastered the power at his disposal, such as now, unable to multitask by dealing with outside traitors and Alliance Soldiers, while focusing also on handling the fly-like intruder at his doorstep.

If this little fly arrogantly assumed, it equated that a being as godlike as he couldn't handle it, well, that would be a laughing matter.

For him, it was merely crushing an insect!

"Who allowed you to stand here—"

Before he finished speaking, a sliced alloy door was hurtling towards him like a cannonball.

Caught off guard, Teil could only sidestep, but when he lifted his head again, he saw the man clad in steel armor, holding a short axe already standing before him, the blunt axe blade burning with a fierce glow.

"Nobody's asking whether you allow or not."

"I came myself!"